Is the Border War back?

KU, Mizzou in discussions about an 'event' to raise money for hurricane relief

For at least one day in the not-too-distant future, that may very well be the case.

After Twitter reports and talk radio chatter surfaced Thursday afternoon about a potential Kansas-Missouri men’s basketball scrimmage at Sprint Center later this month, a KU official confirmed to the Journal-World that the KU athletic department had been in talks with Missouri about a potential event that would involve the two basketball programs and raise money for hurricane relief.

“We have had discussions about an event,” KU associate athletic director Jim Marchiony said on Thursday afternoon. “But any specifics or details at this time would be premature.”

NCAA rules allow teams to play two exhibition contests per season against non-Division I opponents, meaning KU and MU likely would need the permission of the NCAA — be it in the form of a waiver or something similar — in order to play the scrimmage and still stay within the rules.

Marchiony said both schools were exploring that option.

Hosting such a game, at Sprint Center, on campus or even on the moon, no doubt would create quite a buzz between the former Big 12 rivals whose history dates back more than 100 years.

Many have speculated that Oct. 22 is the date to watch for the potential scrimmage. If it happens, Marchiony said only players eligible for the upcoming 2017-18 season would be allowed to play in the scrimmage, meaning KU transfers Dedric and K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore would not be eligible to play.

Long considered the longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi River, and one of the most intense rivalries in all of sports, the Border War came to an abrupt end when Missouri chose to leave the Big 12 Conference for the Southeastern Conference following the 2011-12 school year.

KU and Missouri have faced each other in a couple of sports since the Tigers’ departure, but those meetings — in softball and volleyball — came in postseason play and were not scheduled by the two schools.

With Missouri’s basketball program finding new life with the recent hire of head coach Cuonzo Martin and the arrival of Michael Porter Jr., the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2017, many MU supporters have been clamoring for the revival of the Border War. While the KU athletic department has remained strong in its stance that it was Missouri that left the conference, and, therefore, ended the rivalry, the opportunity to showcase two exciting teams in an exhibition setting for a good cause makes sense.

KU, which leads the all-time series with MU, 173-95, won 11 of the last 13 men’s basketball meetings between the two rivals, including the final game, a thrilling, 87-86, come-from-way-behind victory at Allen Fieldhouse on Feb. 25, 2012.

The Jayhawks trailed by 19 points midway through that game and came all the way back to win in overtime, thanks to some clutch play by Thomas Robinson on both ends of the floor — including a monster block of Phil Pressey on the final play of regulation — and a ton of energy from the Allen Fieldhouse fans.

While this month’s scrimmage, should it happen, likely would draw crazy interest from both fan bases, it’s hard to envision it living up to the craziness of the old battles.

As a native Missourian but a Jayhawk alum and proud of it, I am sick and tired of being called chickens##t and yellow bellied cowards by all the Tiger fans I have to deal with on a daily basis.

Nothing was a greater hoot than to come into the office the next day after beating Missouri in some sporting event. Heck, I think our football team could even win against them right now!

This whole accusation of Kansas 'taking our ball and going home" is REALLY getting old.I know Missouri dumped us and the Big 12 for the greener pastures of the SEC, [Pastures currently filled with cow plops, buffalo chips and land mines for the Tiggers], but what the hell, life is too short.

My only conditions would be that any game, no matter what the sport, would have have to be played in Lawrence, no Missouri fans would be allowed to attend and, after losing, the Missouri team would have to walk back to KC.

Why not have a GoFundMe contest between the 2 schools, to see who could raise the most $$$ for hurricane rwlief? It would be stupid to risk injury to any of our players, and I don't trust Mizzou to "play nice"!

No. Just, no. If we really wanted to raise money for hurricane relief, we’d schedule an exhibition with Duke, NC, Kentucky, or U.C.L.A.. Heck, why not throw Danny Manning a bone and schedule Wake Forest? We should not play Missouri for any reason other than post season pairings we have no control over.

I know I'm in the minority, but I'd love to schedule them every year. Not a meaningless scrimmage, but a non-conference game.

Don't get me wrong, I'll ALWAYS HATE MU, but the intensity of my hatred has lessened these past couple of years without the rivalry. I miss it! I want it! I need it!

I'm a native Kansan and a KU grad, but I'm stuck living in Missouri. I need a good beat down of those traitors to make me feel alive again. And, my in-laws are huge MU fans so I've got that going for me too.

Missouri hasn't been a relevant hoops program since they left the Big 12. Frankly I think Washburn will give us a better game. I love the charity aspect, but why do WE need to help breathe life into Mizzou's otherwise dead program.

Very bad idea! Nothing to gain for KU, and the thugs at Missouri have a chance atnational exposure. I though Self said we were done with playing Missouri forever!I think most alums would agree with that principal!Don't do it!!!!!!!!

My thoughts exactly...a no win situation for KU all around. If KU doesn't do it...they don't care about hurricane victims. If they do it and win...they were supposed to win. If...God forbid...KU loses...we'll never hear the end of it.

It's a complete win all around for MU...and a complete loss all around for KU. DO NOT DO IT.

I am 100% against this. I will never give a nickel of my money to any event that includes MU. They chose to leave. They walked away from the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi, and I believe the 2nd or 3rd oldest in the entire country. They have been whining about us not playing them since they left, and everyone there is indoctrinated into their propaganda. They should never be mentioned in the same breath as KU.

We know what happened. They pledged solidarity, a year later they gave the league the finger. I didn't want to play them ever again, only because that's what Missouri wanted. Why should we be a part of giving them everything they want?

But now, everybody involved with their decision to split is gone. The chancellor, the president, the AD, the football coach, the basketball coach.....actually, they're on their 3rd basketball coach since the flop.

There's nobody left to be mad at. We're making tons of money, they're making tons of money. If the administration wants to play them, I'll enjoy the game. And rubbing it in to my Missouri friends the next day.

Not to be too over dramatic but I feel this is a huge betrayal on the part of our admin. if we do. We all know the cause and circumstance why this went down. We are winning this thing and have absolutely no reason to jump in again. Making me choose between my moral conscience (charity+ supporting my team) vs. my principles (they made a choice, we made a stand) its almost like a betrayal by the administration. I will not attend this and will be highly disappointed if it goes down.What if one or two of our best players went down? What if that cost us the game? What if it costs us another conference title? What about a title run? This thing smells afoul much like a false flag. Attaching it to "charity" as to win our hearts for such a match is just pure disgusting! Its not even real charity to me. Will everyone working the event be doing it totally free? Does anyone get paid anything? Much like the Red Cross is not charity either. Their CEO makes millions. This is nonsense and I can't support it. That is unfortunate for our players and the charity, if people don't show up to the event because of the MU aspect. Pick somebody else! Wheew Sorry!

I miss it but don't do it! They left over greed and it has not served them well, athletically. They are a non factor in the SEC and the SEC thinks that way also by putting them in the East Division. Let them clamor all they want. They made their bed, keep laying in it.

I don't know who in the Admin got drunk at a bar with a Mizzou person, but this is dumb and worthless. My mom is Puerto Rican and my dad is from and lives in Houston. We can find other ways to contribute to disaster relief. Sarah Carr had a good one earlier in this string. Squash the idea and move on to more meaningful ways of developing KU athletics. Let Mizzou continue to wallow in irrelevancy. No thank you.